I remember the day that Michael Owen, my childhood hero,stumbled as if he was shot in his stride, as if it were yesterday.It was April 12th 1999, Owen was gliding past defenders in the red Liverpool shirt as he often done so majestically in his career as a footballer. All of a sudden he hopped,skipped and jumped clutching his right leg, and to everyone watching his face said it all! Owen tore a hamstring for the first time playing for Liverpool at Leeds when aged just 19. Owen’s blistering pace was lost in full throttle that day, an injury that would go down in his own words “to compromise his career”.

Owen’s hamstring tear was the first injury I had ever witnessed in sport, it grabbed my attention for a little more than a minute as a ten year old kid. Little did i know at the time, I would be following the career path in preventing and managing such injuries. When i look back , it is certainly plausible the deep concern I had for my childhood hero, and how he could back in action for Liverpool as soon as possible sparked such interest.

Hamstring injuries are common and have a high re­-injury rate so prevention is very important. There are multiple things that can place players at increased risk and these can be modified. Players at risk should be specifically targeted but all players need to dedicate themselves to injury prevention strategies. Pelvic control, strength and flexibility are just as important as hamstring strength, endurance and flexibility.